Resilience sent Ohio Bulldawgs Elite to national title

MARION - The Ohio Bulldawgs Elite ‘03 showed just how much mettle they possessed last weekend.

Fueled by multiple late-game comebacks, the Bulldawgs Elite won the USSSA Great Lakes 13-and-under national championship. The tournament featured 28 of the top 13U teams from seven states.

That was only part of the story.

The Bulldawgs, coached by Clint Shearer and assistants Shawn Chamberlin and Nate Miller, dropped their first pool play game, 5-2, to Alliance-based Wolfpack ‘03.

They rebounded with a 3-0 win against the Canton Lady Bombers ‘03 and followed with a 10-9 win against the Michigan Batbusters that saw them overcome an 8-1 deficit.

The win earned them a No. 2 seed in bracket play, where they opened with a 10-5 win against the Avon-based Lady Rays.

The second game of bracket play found them trailing 7-3 entering the seventh inning against the Indiana Zephyrs, only to rally with five runs to earn an 8-7 win.

A 9-1 win against the Kentucky Crush followed, setting up another dramatic comeback in a 10-9, extra-inning win against the Toledo Wizards Elite that sent them into the championship game.

The Bulldawgs trailed again, 5-1, but they rallied with seven unanswered runs in the final two innings to take down the Philadelphia Banshees, 8-5.

Chamberlin, who coached Crooksville's varsity baseball team for 17 years, said the team displayed uncommon resiliency.

"I wish all my baseball teams had this kind of determination," Chamberlin said. "It was just a special group that never quit. Out of 10 games there were only three games. Six games we came back from deficits. I just think it was just resilience, grit — whatever you want to call it. You can call it what you want, they just never said die. They just kept plugging away until time expired."

"All weekend those girls battled with two strikes," Chamberlin said. "I don't know how many of those girls had 9-, 10-, 11-pitch at-bats where they put the ball in play and made them field it."

Chamberlin said the balance and versatility in the lineup was one of the keys to the team's success, along with the pitching of Miller.

He also said the team learned to handle adversity from some difficult losses in the games leading to the national tournament.

"I don't think anyone gave us a shot because we're smaller, but as far as heart and will, I think we're a good head and shoulders above," Chamberlin said. "You watch these travel tournaments and you see kids start pouting and seeing them feel sorry for themselves, and their play drops a little. These kids didn't do that."

Team tryouts for the next season will be held Aug. 5 at the Y-City Midget League complex.